


Bright Red Droplets

by Shadow_Of_Castiel



Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-20
Updated: 2010-08-23
Packaged: 2017-10-11 04:31:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/108431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadow_Of_Castiel/pseuds/Shadow_Of_Castiel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set between 5x21 "Two Minutes To Midnight" and 5x22 "Swan Song" incorporating some events as seen in 5x19 "Hammer Of The Gods." In the ongoing fight against Lucifer, Dean wishes Team Free Will could have some extra help. While watching the DVD that Gabriel gave them, he decides he wants Gabriel brought back to life again. Dean decides to petition Crowley to help them find a ritual for resurrecting archangels, but will the demon help?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Also comes with accompanying artwork found [here](http://objectivelyp1nk.livejournal.com/20362.html)

Dean watched as Bobby paced the room, unable to believe that a few short days ago, the older hunter had been confined to a wheelchair. If not for the wheelchair itself stashed in the far corner, Dean would have believed it had been a dream or had happened in another lifetime perhaps.

 

 

Bobby caught him watching and an affectionate frown crossed his face before he said - "What's up, boy?"

 

 

Dean smiled ruefully before he said - "I still can't believe that you're up and walking again, Bobby. It's taking some getting used to."

 

 

"Tell me about it. You weren't the one stuck in that damn chair for all those weeks. It was Hell," Bobby said with a soft snort as he continued to pace.

 

 

"Yeah. I'd know all about that," Dean murmured, with an arch lift of his eyebrows, taking a pull on his beer with a rough, humorless snort.

 

 

Bobby closed his eyes in sudden recrimination, before he said - "I didn't mean nothing by what I said, you know. Should have picked a better choice of words."

 

 

"Maybe so," Dean grunted, before falling silent again, eyes trained on Bobby's legs.

 

 

The elder hunter watched him for a time, as he went about clearing up Dean's mess, grumbling about idjit boys and their pie crumbs and beer bottles left scattered about honest people's houses. Dean merely offered a washed out smile at that but didn't come back with the rejoinders that Bobby expected, which surprised the elder hunter. Finally, Bobby stopped clearing away and came to sit next to Dean on his worn couch, staring at the elder Winchester curiously.

 

"What?" Dean asked, roughly when Bobby didn't immediately speak.

 

 

"What's up, boy? You've been staring at me like you're watching a ghost or something," Bobby said, affection for the younger man who he viewed as his surrogate son evident in the tone of his voice.

 

"Maybe I have. Maybe I'd like to," Dean said, morosely, with an arch lift of his shoulders before falling silent once more.

 

 

When Dean didn't immediately elaborate, Bobby pushed him for further details, wondering if he was prodding too far in the wrong direction when Dean didn't immediately answer.

 

 

"I was thinking about Crowley," Dean finally replied, before taking another swig of his beer, throat moving in long swallows as he thought.

 

 

"And?" Bobby prompted, eyebrows lifting at the mention of the demon's name.

 

 

The older hunter wondered if Dean was going to bring up the same old tired recriminations that he'd been spouting for the past few days, that Bobby shouldn't have sold his soul to Crowley even on a temporary basis like Crowley claimed. Dean didn't trust Crowley as far as he could throw him, and Bobby could see why the younger man thought that. Even so, he didn't see as to how he'd had a lot of choice at the time and he still didn't regret doing it now, if it helped them in the long run.

 

 

He sighed, but remained silent, waiting for Dean to continue as he undoubtedly would. Sometimes it was wise to let Dean tell his own story at his own pace and not push him. To push would be to prod Dean into leaving, to clam up and to retreat into his shell like a crab.

 

 

"I was just thinking about Gabriel again, is all," Dean admitted finally.

 

 

"Gabriel? Why were you thinking about Gabriel?" Sam asked, as he came walking into the room and catching Dean's last words.

 

 

"I was watching that DVD he gave us again last night," Dean told his brother, barely looking up as Sam slumped down in the armchair across the room, long legs spread before him and seeming to fill the remaining space in the room with his large frame.

 

 

Dean fell silent again, paying respect to the angel that had passed, killed at the hand of his own brother, Lucifer and all because he wouldn't stand by Lucifer's side, preferring instead to stand on the side of the humans that Lucifer so reviled. Dean hadn't always seen eye to eye with the tricksy archangel, he had to admit that to himself, if not to anyone else. Hell, he hadn't even liked him most of the time, yet still, now that it was too late, Dean felt a grudging respect for Gabriel and wished that he could repay him for all that he'd done for them and for all that he'd tried to do in the meantime.

 

 

For all his time spent in his own personal Witness Protection Program, changing his name and his face, Gabriel had stepped up to the plate and stood up to his family, just like Dean had wanted him to do. If that didn't earn the archangel some respect, then Dean sure as hell didn't know what did. In a way, Dean kind of missed having him around despite the fact he'd tried to kill him a thousand times over or more.

 

 

"I was thinking that if Crowley helped you with your legs then maybe he'd know a way to bring Gabriel back to life," Dean murmured, face turning slightly red as though he was embarrassed over even admitting to those thoughts aloud.

 

 

"And why would I do that?" came Crowley's distinctive voice from behind them.

 

 

The trio in the living room looked up to see the dark haired demon standing in the doorway, hands pushed deep within the pockets of his black overcoat as he stared round at the hunters curiously. Dean sighed when Bobby stared at him, as though prompting him to explain himself still further.

 

 

"He was an archangel, Crowley. He seemed to be the only angel on our side, apart from Cas of course. Now that Cas is, well, you know, incapacitated and can't do all the things he used to do, I thought it would be nice to have a powerful angel helping us out in the fight against Lucifer," Dean said with a shrug.

 

 

"I thought we agreed that I was to jump in that cage so Lucifer would follow and be trapped," Sam said, straightening in his seat to glare at Dean with the full force of a younger Winchester refusing to be denied or diverted from his course of action.

 

 

"I'm not saying no, Sammy. All I'm saying is, Gabriel was the only one who wanted to stand with us. I thought if he still was here, he'd help us somehow," Dean said, looking to Bobby as though asking for help.

 

 

"Like extra help, or a back up plan at the very least," Bobby murmured, looking from Dean to his brother, an intense scowl upon his face.

 

 

"Exactly. We need all the help we can get at the moment, just in case," Dean said, with an affirmative nod.

 

 

Sam sat back in his seat, with a sigh, limbs stretched in front of him loosely, yet he remained silent. Crowley was watching the exchange with a look of intense thoughtfulness upon his face, thoughts flickering behind his eyes as he worked through an idea.

 

 

"I might just have an idea, guys. Can't tell you too much about at the moment as I dunno whether it's viable nor do I wanna compromise myself nor anyone else involved. All you need to know is what I tell you, when I tell you," Crowley finally said, his last sentence almost shouted when Dean opened his mouth to interject. "You got that, mate?"

 

 

"Yeah," Dean grumbled without an argument.

 

 

"Good," Crowley said, with a nod and a slight frown of annoyance at the elder Winchester. "Now if you'll excuse me, gents, I'll be off. Got things to do and sort out. Be back in a few days and I'll tell you my plan. Alright?"

 

 

"Yeah," Dean, then Sam, grumbled.

 

 

Bobby remained silent, eyes glittering beneath his ball cap as he watched Crowley leave. All it took was one blink and the demon had gone, disappeared from view as though he'd never been. No one saw Castiel leaving soon after, blue eyes downcast and shoulders slumped, face one of distraught misery ....


	2. Chapter 2

"Dean, can I ask you something?" Sam asked, catching his brother alone later that evening in Bobby's kitchen.

 

 

Far off in the distance, they could both hear Bobby talking on the phone, helping another hunter with a case elsewhere in the country. Both figured it could take him some time so felt free to continue talking without interruption.

 

 

"Depends what it is, Sam," Dean asked, walking to the fridge and pulling a beer from its chilly depths.

 

 

He handed the bottle to Sam, who accepted it, before pulling out another for himself.

 

 

"How do you know you can trust Crowley? The guy's a demon," Sam pointed out, voice thoughtful but without the anger and recriminations of past days when he'd asked the same question.

 

 

This time, Dean leant back against the kitchen worksurface and stared at his brother, remaining silent as he pulled at the neck of his bottle, brows pulled down in a thoughtful frown. Sam watched his brother, taking a much smaller swig of his beer, and not expecting an answer from Dean, or at least a straight one. Surprisingly, Dean did answer.

 

 

"I don't know who else to go to for help, Sam. Gabriel's gone, Cas has lost his mojo and until recently Bobby was in a wheelchair. You're in demon blood rehab and I'm a washed up reject from Hell. Does any of this scenario sound good to you, Sam?" the elder hunter asked, voice bitter as he took another pull from his bottle. "We're losing, and I think we need all the help we can get and if that involves going to Crowley to get Gabriel back, then so be it."

 

 

Sam nodded at that, kept silent for a while before he sighed loudly into the silence.

 

 

"I get it, Dean, I really do, but I still am not happy about trusting a demon. Look what happened when - " and Sam's voice trailed off at that, eyes downcast bitterly to the floor.

 

 

"You mean, Ruby. Yeah, look what happened about that, Sam," Dean said, bitterly, turning away from his brother with a partially disgusted snort.

 

 

Sam looked up at that, felt a stab of pain course through him, tempered with a stab of pity for his brother and all that he'd been through because of him, Sam Winchester.

 

 

"I'm sorry, dude, but how the hell was I supposed to know any of this was ever gonna happen? I mean, really?" he asked, feeling a little gratified that Dean at least turned back to face him.

 

 

"You know what? You're right. You weren't to know. Neither did I when I broke the first seal," Dean replied, sounding as weary as he looked right then. "If I'm gonna blame you , then I'd be a hypocrite to not pile blame on my own doorstep."

 

 

Sam remained silent at that, uncertain as to what he was supposed to even say as rejoinder to Dean's words.

 

 

"At least you've got Cas, Dean," he eventually said, aiming to change the subject and stop his brother from beating himself up incessantly, as only Dean could.

 

 

His words at least brought a smile to Dean's face, green eyes warming and losing some of the blame and guilt trapped behind them.

 

 

"Yeah, I've got Cas," he repeated, eyes turning misty and distant as he took another mouthful of beer.

 

 

Sam chuckled at that, hanging his head so that his hair hung into his eyes and he scuffed the toe of one boot against the floor. Bobby's voice continued in the distance, and it sounded as though the elder hunter was now arguing with whoever he was talking to on the other end of the phone.

 

 

"What's so funny?" Dean asked, grinning despite himself as he watched Sam turn an amused grin back at him, dimples flashing in his cheeks.

 

 

"You, Dean," Sam replied, before he cut off his own sentence.

 

 

"Me? Yeah, I like to think I'm pretty funny. Thanks for noticing," and Dean lifted his beer to Sam with a smirk.

 

 

"Not that kind of funny, Dean. You do realize that you act like a lovelorn teenage girl whenever you're around Cas?" Sam asked.

 

 

"I do not act like that; you take that back," Dean replied, incensed.

 

 

"You do," and Sam mimicked a puppy dog look, complete with a pout and fluttering eyelashes. "Oh Cas, I love you Cas!"

 

 

"Shut up, dude. You're just jealous," Dean said, as he turned away, cheeks blazing in embarrassment even as he hid a smile.

 

 

"Ahh, you didn't deny you loved Cas though, did ya?" Sam asked, with a laugh, one large hand raised to point at his brother, a proper laugh escaping his lips.

 

 

"Shut up, Sam," Dean muttered, cheeks blazing redder still as he took another mouthful of beer.

 

 

"It's alright, Dean. I think it's nice you love Cas. Admit it, you love him," Sam pressed, unwilling to let this one run away from him.

 

 

"Yeah, I love him, Sam. Happy now? Made your day now, have I?" Dean replied, waspishly as he threatened to walk from the room and leave Sam to his hilarity on his own.

 

 

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it, Dean? Does Cas know how you feel?" Sam asked, still smiling.

 

 

"It's getting a bit personal, isn't it?" Dean asked, refusing to answer the question or even meet his brother's gaze.

 

 

"He doesn't, does he? You should tell him, seriously you should," Sam said, finally sobering up to talk to his brother properly.

 

 

"Yeah, I will," Dean replied, soberly, eyes glaring at nothing in particular. "I don't wanna lose him, you know? He's the best thing that's happened to me."

 

 

"I know. I can see that," Sam replied, gently. "You're good together, Dean. You make a lovely couple, you know."

 

 

Dean looked up at his brother at that and smiled at him, before saying - "Thanks, Sammy. I appreciate that."

 

 

Sam merely nodded and both of the Winchesters looked up at Bobby's imminent arrival back in the kitchen. The elder hunter was grumbling about "damn idjits not doing as they're told" and "sons of bitches can't find their own asses with both hands." Sam and Dean exchanged a raised eyebrow look but let Bobby rant and ramble on to himself until the storm had blown over and he was quiet again. They remained quiet on the subject of Cas, just helped Bobby with making the dinner for the three of them.


	3. Chapter 3

"Sam, you seen Cas anywhere lately?" Dean asked a few days later as he studiously cleaned one of his guns.

They still were waiting for word from Crowley and neither he nor Castiel had shown up at Bobby's house even though they both were expected.

"Cas? No," Sam replied, looking up to stare at Dean with an unconcerned quirk of his lips. "He's your boyfriend Dean. You should know better than I do where he's at."

Dean grunted but didn't reply, just carried on cleaning his guns fastidiously. Sam watched him for a while, saw the deep note of worry playing out behind Dean's eyes and felt a surge of pity for his older brother suddenly. Of course, Dean wasn't used to the security of a steady relationship, nor the problems the same steady relationship entailed. Ever since Dean had started going hot and heavy with his angel, Sam had been watching them closely, making sure that everything was as it should be between them.

He'd eased off a little when it seemed that there were no problems that Dean was settling in just fine and even seemed happy with Castiel. Castiel of course adored Dean. Even Sam could see that by the way that Castiel stared at Dean, the easy way that the angel reached for the elder hunter and would hold his hand when they thought that Sam wasn't looking. He'd hidden plenty of smiles when the lovers exchanged tender kisses, little snuggles again when they thought Sam wasn't looking and even when he was sometimes.

And now, to see Dean so obviously worried for the well-being of his lover made Sam's heart ache for his brother. Dean wasn't used to feeling like this, of feeling the anxiety of separation from Castiel for even a couple days. And so he sighed heavily and snapped the top of his laptop down and leant back in his chair heavily.

"Have you tried calling him, Dean?" Sam asked, lacing his fingers over his abdomen and levelling an attentive look at his brother curiously.

"What d'you think I am? Desperate?" Dean snapped instinctively.

When Sam pointedly didn't answer, Dean at least had the decency to look shame faced and he even went so far as to apologize to his brother.

"I'm sorry, Sammy. It's just - it's Cas. I've never - " and Dean shook his head helplessly at his brother.

"You've never loved anyone before like you love Cas," Sam stated rather than asked.

"Yeah, what you said," Dean said, gratefully, nodding, keeping his gaze trained on his brother's face. "You know I do. I already said that the other day."

Sam knew and he nodded.

"And you don't know what to do without seeming like you're being possessive and needy," Sam guessed, softer now.

"Yeah," Dean agreed, looking and sounding morose, eyes turned down now to look at the floor, mouth turned down at the corners.

Sam watched his brother for a time and sighed when Dean didn't say anything nor offer up any more information than he had already. The younger hunter looked around the room for inspiration, unused to dealing out relationship advice to anyone, let alone his older brother.

"So, have you tried calling him?" Sam asked again, breaking the heavy silence between them.

"Yeah, this morning, but he's not answering," Dean replied, voice sounding heavier and more upset than Sam had ever heard it. "I've never known him not to answer when I call. He's never gone so long without calling me either or showing up, What if something's happened to him? He might be hurt and it'll be my fault."

Dean stood up and started pacing the room, abandoning his gun momentarily to tug his hair in undisguised frustration and torment.

"Why is it your fault, Dean? If he genuinely is hurt - God forbid that he is - but if he is hurt, then you couldn't have done anything. You wouldn't have known," Sam told him, feeling sorry for his brother, who could always find some way to blame himself for everything if allowed to.

"It would be. I wouldn't have been there to help him," Dean said, unable to let the idea go now that it had taken a hold of his brain.

"Dean, not everything is your fault. He might turn up yet," Sam told him in frustration but Dean wasn't listening.

Instead his head was tilted to the side in a manner that was reminiscent of Castiel himself, a gesture that just looked odd in Dean. Sam mused that it was true that lovers who enjoyed a particularly close relationship often picked up mannerisms from their partner, and it seemed particularly true in Dean's case, at least in regards to his current head tilt.

"What? Dean, what is it?" Sam asked when Dean didn't immediately speak.

"It's Cas, he's here," Dean said, face looking hopeful for the first time in about ten minutes. "I heard his voice."

Sam didn't get the chance to speak further for Dean had left the room swiftly, going downstairs to speak to his lover. The younger Winchester shrugged and started cleaning Dean's gun for him, deciding that his brother really needed the time alone to speak to Castiel without interruption from him.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Bobby studiously left the room when Dean arrived, leaving the couple alone together, guessing they needed the time to talk. He knew it was best for them to do so. Despite his gruff exterior, he felt like Dean and Sam were like the sons he never had and he liked seeing Dean spending time with Castiel, could see they were obviously in love.

He didn't like the fact that Castiel had stayed away for so long either and could see just how much it had affected Dean by the morose look on the boy's face. And so he left them to themselves, fabricating a job to do elsewhere.

Dean nodded at him in thanks, before turning his gaze to Castiel, whose eyes were trained to the ground in morose embarrassment. The angel's shoulders were slumped and his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his coat, which Dean noticed was even more rumpled than usual. It looked as though he hadn't even shaved or anything judging by the three days worth of scruff on his cheeks and chin. Dean thought the look suited him and made the angel look sexier still to him but he remained silent on that score, decided to tell him that fact at a later stage.

"Where have you been?" Dean asked, anger tightening his voice even though every nerve ending in his body demanded that he go over to Castiel and hug him.

"Not here," Castiel replied, deep voice hushed and almost scared sounding.

"No shit, Sherlock. Where the hell were you? I've been worrying here," Dean admitted, letting some of the anger slip, replaced by concern instead.

Castiel's eyes flickered up to Dean's face at that, surprise evident in his cerulean blue eyes, plump lips parted hopefully as though wanting to speak yet not knowing the right words to say.

"Cas? Answer?" Dean asked, closing the distance between them finally and wrapping his hands around Castiel's in a gentle gesture.

"I don't know where I was Dean. I just took a bus and ... travelled," and Castiel looked away, jaw working and clenching at the memories of being separated from Dean for even those few days.

"Why, Cas? I wanted you here," Dean asked, sounding as perplexed as he did before.

Castiel didn't reply at first, just stared at the floor as though as some recalcitrant child speaking to a parent. This time, Dean kept silent and the angel thought that his lover's silence was worse than his constant stream of words and questions. Dean was so rarely silent, the change was jarring to say the least.

"I needed to think, Dean, about us," Castiel finally said, as though the words had cost him dearly.

"Us? Why? Cas, you're not splitting up with me are you? Whatever I've done, I'm sorry. Let me fix it, whatever the hell it is," Dean said, wrapping one arm around Castiel's slender waist and drawing him in close.

Dean was gratified to find that there was no resistance at all in Castiel's body; in fact, quite the opposite. Castiel melted into Dean's body gratefully, arms wrapping around Dean's body as though the angel didn't want to let him go. The hunter drew away slightly after pressing a light kiss to the angel's cheek, stared at Castiel and watched as the angel opened his mouth to speak.

"I do not want to break up with you, Dean," Castiel assured him, resting one hand gently on Dean's cheek. "I want you to know that I love you."

Dean grinned at that and leant in to nuzzle Castiel's nose with his own, before planting a wet kiss upon his lover's mouth. He decided to make good on his previous promise to Sam made three days previously yet not forgotten by Dean.

"I love you too, Cas, and I thought you should know that too. I know I don't tell you that often enough and - " and Dean's words were cut off by Castiel placing slender fingers over his mouth and shushing him gently.

"It's alright, Dean; I know," he said, before leaning in to steal another kiss.

Dean noticed that the kiss seemed more desperate than usual, as though the angel were hurting inside. He drew away to stare down at his lover, cupping his face with one hand to stroke his skin with his thumb.

"Now are you gonna tell me what this has been all about?" Dean asked, voice pitched low. "Where the hell have you been, dude?"

Castiel didn't immediately reply and Dean prompted him by saying - "Sweetheart?"

Castiel smiled slightly at that as Dean knew he would. The angel loved it when Dean called him sweetheart, made him feel loved and wanted by Dean, and was someone special to Dean.

"I heard you talking to Crowley a few days ago. You said that I was incapacitated and you thought it would be nice to have a powerful angel on your side again," and Castiel's mouth turned down at the corners as he said the words. "I thought you didn't love me any more because I'm not what I once was."

Dean stared at Castiel for a few moments, green eyes wide as he stared at his lover in incredulous silence, before he spoke loudly.

"What the hell, dude? What the hell made you think that I didn't love you any more from what I said to Crowley? It doesn't mean to say I love you any less just because your powers are going. In fact it's the opposite. I want you around more now that you can't do the things you used to, so I know you're safe. I wanna keep an eye on you, dude," Dean said, curling his fingers around Castiel's chin to make sure that Castiel continued staring at him.

The angel was smiling hopefully by the time that Dean had finished talking, a warm look in his eyes that made them crinkle at the corners with pleasure and he reached up to touch Dean's cheek with slightly trembling fingers. He leant in and pressed a gentle kiss to Dean's mouth, lips lingering against lips before he pulled away reluctantly.

"Thank you, Dean. I shouldn't have doubted you," he said, voice warm.

He rested his hands on Dean's shoulders and smiled as the hunter slid his hands down his back, fingers finally coming to rest upon his ass.

"You shouldn't have," Dean agreed, voice pitched low and intimate as he leant in for another kiss.

Their mouths were still locked together when first Bobby, then Sam came walking quietly in, grinning at the tender scene before them. When it looked to Sam as though the lovers weren't about to stop kissing any time soon, the younger Winchester cleared his throat and attracted the couple's attention back to them.

"Crowley's here and he's got some news," he said, as the demon walked in, an ominous look upon his face ...


	4. Chapter 4

"Right then, fellas, I have some news for you," the demon said, getting straight down to business as per usual. "Can't stay long so I have to tell you what you need to know then vamoose, alright?"

"Yeah," Dean said, suspiciously, brows lowered over his eyes as he stared at Crowley.

Castiel remained silent, hands still resting on Dean's chest and leaning into his lover's body. Crowley took in the sight of Dean with his arms around Castiel, hands resting gently upon the angel's ass and the way that Castiel snuggled slightly against the hunter to gain more comfort. The demon's eyebrows raised, unable to stop the grin that spread across his face at the sight.

"Don't say anything, Crowley, or I swear I'll shoot you in the face," Dean warned him, raising one hand from Castiel's ass to point warningly at the grinning demon.

"Me? I'm keeping schtum, mate," Crowley said, raising his hands palms outward to forestall further argument from Dean. "What you get up to with your angel is nothing to do with me, is it?"

"You better believe it," Sam muttered from behind Dean, making the elder Winchester turn and glance at him in surprise.

"Thanks, Sammy," Dean said with a smile at the show of support from his brother.

Sam merely lifted one shoulder wordlessly as if to say - no problem and you're welcome - before returning his attention to the matter at hand, or rather the demon at hand.

"I've located an amulet; a powerful thing that'll raise your dead archangel," Crowley said, getting down to business immediately now that his fun looked likely to be over.

"An amulet? What use is a freaking amulet, Crowley? People wear them, dude, not bring dead angels back to life again," Dean growled, frowning at the now sighing demon standing in front of them.

"You obviously haven't seen this amulet, then. This is very rare, very old, is far older than even me. On its own it won't do much good, but couple it with a few chants, and Bob's your Uncle," Crowley said, turning his little smile onto Dean, knowing that he knew something that Dean didn't.

Dean wanted to wipe that little smirk from Crowley's face for good yet knew that he couldn't touch Crowley if he wanted the demon to still help them. He didn't want to go the way of Sam and not be trusted. Crowley had already made it clear that he didn't like Sam, didn't like the fact that he tried to kill him on more than one occasion. Whether Crowley truly meant his words or whether it was genuinely a ploy on his part to keep Sam from his former classmate and lackey to one of the Horsemen, Dean still wasn't sure. He didn't want to run the risk of pushing Crowley to his limits all the same. He knew as well as Crowley did that Crowley was needed, his help was beneficial in all of this.

"You'll find it at this address," and Crowley passed over a scrap of paper to Bobby, who read the writing scribbled on it with a frown of concentration upon his face.

When it looked as though Crowley was about to leave, Sam called out to him, and his words made Crowley surprisingly stop in his tracks, look over his shoulder at the younger Winchester in surprise.

"Is that it? You're not gonna tell us anything else? No security procedures we have to skirt? Anything at all?" Sam asked, with a shrug at Castiel when the angel turned inquisitive blue eyes onto him.

"Right, right, yes," Crowley said, with a huff at the younger Winchester.

He finally drew a piece of paper from his coat pocket, spread it out upon the nearest table revealing it to be a blueprint of someone's property. Crowley then proceeded to tell them that the house they were looking for was situated in the middle of densely packed woods nearby. The house itself was guarded by a security team complete with guard dogs while the amulet was in the study safely locked in a safe.

"Sergeant Pepper in the study with a hash-pipe," Dean immediately muttered without thinking.

"You what, mate?" Crowley asked, blinking at Dean with some surprise.

"He's talking about Clue, and getting it all wrong," Sam provided as he kicked Dean viciously out of Crowley's immediate sight.

"You bitch," Dean said loudly, as he punched Sam's arm viciously. "What the hell did you kick me for?"

"Freaking hash pipe is why, jerk," Sam hissed back, as both Castiel and Bobby looked on with some bemusement.

Crowley watched them bickering, before he cleared his throat loudly, stopping the Winchesters mid fight.

"Ladies, please," the demon said with a long suffering sigh, before returning his attention to the matter at hand.

He continued detailing how they should get onto the property, where the safe was and even the access code for it.

"How did you find out all this?" Castiel asked, head tilted to the side, eyes narrowed as he glared at the demon with some of his former angelic righteousness.

Dean smiled at his lover, reached for his hand, smile growing broader when Castiel's fingers wrapped around his own.

"I'm a demon, mate. It's what I do, alright?" Crowley said, before turning away with a huff. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some deals to attend to. No rest for the wicked as they say."

And with that, the demon disappeared, leaving the hunters and angel to their plans.


	5. Chapter 5

Dean ghosted through the trees with Castiel directly behind him, two crouching figures flitting through the trees as they moved closer to the house. They could hear Sam's urgent voice at the gates, sounding distant and distorted by the distance, yet both Dean and Castiel knew that the younger Winchester was holding Bobby up and Bobby was pretending to be hurt.

Castiel laid a restraining hand upon Dean's arm when it seemed to him as though Dean was going to surge forward too soon. Despite his flagging angelic powers, his senses still were far more acute than Dean's ever would be and he'd heard the almost silent tread of a guard on the other side of the brick wall they currently were standing in front of.

Dean surprisingly did as he was silently told, trusting in Castiel's better defined senses until the angel tapped his arm to tell him he should move. They crept forward, balancing on the balls of their feet to minimize the chance of noise, before Dean helped Castiel to slither up the wall and watched as he perched on the top. He grabbed Castiel's hand when the angel offered it to him, scrabbling for purchase on the wall until he balanced on top of it beside his lover.

As one, they surveyed the immense grounds displayed in front of them, mass upon mass of bushes and trees, the air redolent with the intoxicating scents of roses. When they ascertained the coast was truly clear, they dropped down on the other side of the wall, unable to stop the muffled sound of their feet impacting with the soft mud of the rose beds beneath them.

Castiel escaped without much damage done to him, but Dean was not so lucky. His jacket sleeve became entangled with a rose bush, thorned branches whipping the air as he struggled to free himself, finally doing so and coming away with fresh red scratches on his arm. Castiel stood back, frown marring his forehead and bunching over his stormy blue eyes as he watched Dean punch the bush repeatedly, hissing curses at the leaves in retribution.

"Dean," Castiel said, deep voice commanding despite being barely over a whisper. "Stop that, please."

Dean turned away from the bush with an effort, looking suitably embarrassed by his show of aggression towards a rose bush, straightening his clothes and aiming for an innocent expression which he almost - but not quite pulled off. Castiel shook his head at his partner and looked away, lips thinning out as he scanned the lawn before them, eyes roaming and checking to see if their presence had been noted.

When it looked to Castiel as if they were safe, he turned back to Dean, surprised into a soft grunt when Dean presented him with a freshly cut rose hopefully. Dean was blushing slightly beneath his freckles, looking embarrassed and awkward at his own gesture, shuffling his feet as though he wasn't quite sure what to do with himself. Castiel tilted his head, one eyebrow raised as his eyes locked onto the proffered flower, nose twitching as he caught the heady scent of the rose.

Dean's hopeful, embarrassed smile wilted when Castiel didn't immediately move, brightened again when the angel reached forward and plucked the rose from the hunter's fingers and threaded it into one of his coat's buttonholes. Castiel looked down at the soft red petals and a flicker of a smile crossed his face at the sight. His gaze flickered up towards Dean's before he leant in to press a quick kiss to Dean's mouth.

"Thank you Dean. Now can we go? We've wasted enough time here already," he said, voice an ominous monotone as he reached for Dean's arm and pulled him closer to his body.

Dean resisted the urge to kiss him again, instead following his lover across the lawn steadily, ducking whenever a security guard got too near. Far across the lawn they still could hear Sam's voice complaining about something and a swift flurry of a fight, coupled with Bobby's angry shouts.

Dean gritted his teeth, knowing there was no time left to help them out; he had to remain focussed on the job at hand and to get out as soon as possible. He followed Castiel into the main house, footfalls as silent as possible against the marble floor. Dean took the lead, gesturing Castiel after him and leading further into the back of the house.

They dove into a room at the first sound of someone approaching, footsteps echoing across first a wooden floor and then a marble one, coming closer. Dean looked around, saw that they appeared to be in a guest bedroom before he hissed at Castiel to get into the closet when the footsteps stopped outside, door handle rattling ominously preceding someone's entrance.

The closet door closed shut behind them, closing Dean and Castiel behind its wooden barrier securely. Dean shushed the angel unnecessarily as movement from outside sounded near to the closet door, footsteps scraping against the wooden floor outside. Dean cursed to himself, lips thinned out in an angry, dissatisfied line as the owner of the house continued to hang around outside. It seemed as though she was getting changed, taking off the outfit she was currently wearing and swapping it for the one laid out smoothly upon her bed.

Castiel watched silently as she removed her skirt and Dean turned away, something he'd never imagined doing two years ago, before Castiel came along. The angel, Dean was glad to notice, turned away as well, looking equal parts disgusted and annoyed instead of aroused. They stared at one another instead, eyes locked and Dean smiled at his lover with an expansive weary shrug.

The light lanced in through one of the louvre panels on the door, slicing across Castiel's face and illuminating his eyes gently, turning them a much richer blue with the warmness of the light. Dean was held transfixed by that gaze and he leant in on impulse, pressed a kiss to Castiel's plush lips and received a kiss in return. The angel's hands rested lightly upon Dean's hips, fingers slightly sweat dampened against the hunter's skin where they slipped beneath his t shirt.

Dean pulled away long enough to whisper into Castiel's ear - "While we're here, dude, we'd best make best use of the time."

Castiel tilted his head to the side, polite smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he watched Dean sink to his knees before him. The angel leant against the wall behind him, eyes fluttering closed momentarily as he rested his hands lightly upon Dean's shoulders. The hunter eased Castiel's zipper down gently on his pants, before making short work of the angel's belt, peeling the material of his pants away from slender hips.

Castiel's arousal was thick in the air, as Dean leant in to nuzzle against his dick, pre-cum staining the front of Castiel's boxers in a wet dark patch. Castiel stifled a groan behind a balled fist pressed hastily to his lips when he felt Dean mouthing at his erection through his boxers, wet tongue probing him through the suddenly too restrictive material.

Dean eased Castiel's boxers down and away from his hips, and watched as the angel's dick curled and bobbed up towards his shirt clad abdomen. He licked the end of Castiel's cock gently, tongue probing the slit and making moans stifle against Castiel's shaking fist. Dean grinned then slid his mouth around Castiel's thick shaft, sucking him back slowly.

Castiel looked down, his fist still mashed up painfully against his lips and almost gave away their position by groaning aloud at the sight of Dean's head bobbing between his legs, slick wet mouth sliding easily over his erect flesh. His hips started moving in time with Dean's mouth and he watched as the hunter's eyes drifted closed in satisfaction.

Castiel's head thunked against the wall, just as the woman outside yawned loudly, masking up the slight sound he'd made in her closet. His eyes fluttered closed and his mouth dropped open, breath stifled against his fingers as he flooded Deans mouth with his come, climax roaring through his system and claiming him in its white hot embrace.

Dean pulled away, swallowing at Castiel's release convulsively and wiping the remnants away from firm lips with the back of his hand. He made quick work of his own painfully hard erection by palming himself through his jeans, rubbing one off swiftly not caring about staining his boxers at that moment in time. He decided he'd have time to clean off later.

It seemed an interminable time later that the lady outside finally left and they could breathe more freely without fear of alerting her to their presence. Dean leant forward to peer through the louvred door before slowly easing the wooden barrier open and creeping as softly as he could into the main room. Behind him, Castiel followed, footsteps careful against carpet as they made their way into the corridor once more and further on into the house.

They weren't interrupted further as they headed deeper into the house, following Crowley's blueprint to an office situated at the very back of the building. They crept inside, kept footfalls neatly on the Chinese rug that covered most of the wooden flooring until they reached the far wall. Castiel swung the large Luis Royo print away from the wall, sparing the briefest of glances at the angels depicted upon the work and waited while Dean cracked the safe and slid a package from its shadowed depths stealthily.

Dean didn't speak a word, just nodded at Castiel, who swung the painting back in place once more, before they left, creeping from the house as silently, as swiftly as possible, until the house and its grounds were far behind.

~~~

They only stopped once to unwrap the amulet from its velvet wrappings, to make sure they had the right one. One glance and Castiel nodded at Dean confidently. The hunter nodded back curtly, before glancing curiously down at the small, ineffectual thing he held between rough hands.

He tilted it to the moonlight to get a better view, and saw the multi-faceted surfaces glinting in the cold light. He knew, but couldn't tell in the uncertain light that it was made of rose quartz, in the shape of a stylized, roughly hewn angel, lumpy wings outspread. The silver chain caught the light and shimmered in contrast against the Rose Quartz amulet and the black velvet wrappings beneath. He shook his head and glanced up at Castiel, who was staring at him with curiosity veiled behind a hint of irritation for the hold up.

"Doesn't seem possible that this lump of rock can resurrect a dead angel," Dean observed cynically. "Are you sure Crowley's right?"

"It was your idea to go to Crowley in the first place, Dean," Castiel pointed out, as patiently as he could. "I thought you trusted him."

"You don't?" Dean asked.

"He's a demon," Castiel replied, as if this were answer enough.

Then he glanced over his shoulder before he said - "We'd best go. We haven't got all night."

Dean nodded sourly, well aware of their obligations elsewhere. Castiel watched as Dean carefully wrapped the ancient amulet back in it's wrappings once more, before silently nodding at the angel to continue.

Sam and Bobby were already waiting in the clearing as agreed, staring down at the prone form of Gabriel stretched out upon the ground, eyes closed and restful in repose. Dean heard Sam saying to the elder hunter something about not understanding where Crowley had managed to find Gabriel's body or even how he'd managed to take it from where it had been kept to bring it here. Bobby shrugged, shoulders lifting expansively and his face a blank mask beneath the shade of his ball cap.

They both looked up at Dean and Castiel's approach and stepped away from the archangel's body when the couple stepped nearer, before Dean sent them away altogether to start the car in preparation for their getaway. Sam looked as though he was about to protest, but Bobby urged him away with one hand, nodding to Dean when the elder Winchester thanked him curtly.

When Dean was finally happy they were alone, he handed the package to Castiel and watched him unwrap it, staring curiously at the silver blade revealed beneath shards of ancient parchment and fraying black velvet.

"You sure you know what you're doing?" Dean asked, turning a cautious gaze upon Castiel.

The angel looked up and saw that his lover's eyes were intent upon him, sweat slightly damp against his forehead and sticking mousy brown hair to his skin. Castiel smiled slightly at Dean, before resting on hand on his shoulder gently.

"It'll be fine, Dean, you'll see," he said, gravely and Dean had no choice but to believe him.

"Okay, dude, if you're sure," Dean replied, but the tone of his voice remained uncertain. "I trust you."

"I know," Castiel replied, and Dean couldn't help but smile at that.

The hunter felt a little stir of pride in his chest that Castiel knew he trusted him, was trusted in turn by his lover. He remained silent as Castiel stepped over to the body of Gabriel, removing his tan coat as he did so. Castiel folded the coat ad placed it to one side, putting his suit jacket on top of it. Dean couldn't help but think that it looked like some kind of a ritual, which if he thought into it, it sort of was.

He remained silent as he watched Castiel roll back his shirt sleeve, revealing a pale arm, wincing in sympathy as Castiel carved into his flesh with a knife borrowed from the hunter. Slowly his blood dripped onto the prone from of Gabriel at his feet, bright red droplets of blood stark against too pale skin.

Castiel intoned a string of words Dean had no hope of understanding, gruff, guttural exhalations in Enochian that travelled through Dean's body straight to his dick. He shuddered, loved it when Castiel talked in his own language and wondered if he'd ever be able to convince Castiel to talk Enochian while alone in their bedroom.

He forced himself to concentrate as Castiel finished his chant, blood finished dripping against Gabriel's face and the angel laid the amulet against Gabriel's forehead. Dean held his breath and watched as a glow emanated from the amulet, bathing the archangel with an ethereal rose pink glow as the amulet came into contact with Castiel's blood. For one all too brief and horrible moment, Dean thought that the chant and amulet combined wouldn't work, that what was dead would remain dead.

He held his breath, finally letting it out by degrees as first one hand then the other started to twitch, and Gabriel's left foot jerked, knee spasming as life slowly trickled back into his body. Castiel staggered slightly, drained of his more of his power as his blood dripped inexorably down upon the ground.

"Hey, Cas," Dean barked, closing the distance between them and holding his lover up.

Castiel smiled into Dean's concerned face, rested one blood spattered hand against Dean's cheek, before saying - "I am fine, Dean. Do not worry for me. Watch Gabriel."

"I can't Cas. I can't not worry about you, sweetheart," Dean said, voice tight as Castiel staggered slightly, leaning into him more than he liked.

Castiel let Dean hold him, support him, and he rested his head against his lover's shoulder as they both sank to the ground as Gabriel finally regained consciousness and life. He sat bolt upright, spewing forth a string of obscenities in Enochian, hazel eyes wide as though searching for Lucifer still. When Lucifer was a no show, he turned still too wide eyes upon the lovers, before he grinned at them, cheeks pushing up in pleased mirth.

"Hi, guys, fancy seeing you here," he said. "Hey, what's wrong with Cas, Dean?"

"Drained, Gabe," Dean replied, tightly. "Think you could take us to a hospital, dude? We did just resurrect you."

Gabriel didn't say a word, just snapped his fingers and Dean found himself sitting on the floor of a busy hospital, still supporting Castiel against his body. He cradled his lover's slowly slumping form, and he bawled for a nurse lustily. He almost didn't hand Castiel over to her, finally letting go when she all but broke his fingers trying to pry Castiel away from him.

"You have to let go, sir; we need to look after your friend," she said.

"He's not my friend, miss, he's my partner," Dean clarified immediately. "You take care of my boyfriend, you hear me?"

"That's my job, sir. Your boyfriend will be as good as new in no time," the nurse said mildly as she helped Castiel onto a gurney and wheeled him rapidly away.

"You tell me when you've finished okay? I want to see him," Dean yelled after her but if she gave a response, he didn't hear it.

He had no choice but to wait in the waiting room, mooching his foot against the faded green linoleum beneath his boots, looking up when Gabriel appeared before him, tennis shoes stark against the green.

"Hey, Gabe," Dean said, morosely, shoulders slumped beneath the weight of his depression over being separated from Castiel for so long.

"Hey, Dean. Is Cas alright?" Gabriel asked, voice no longer mocking for once, as he sat beside Dean in a vacant chair.

"I dunno," Dean replied after a brief pause where he toyed with the idea of saying something snarky. "They haven't told me anything yet. They won't let me see him either."

"He'll be fine, Dean, you'll see," Gabriel said, kindly, hazel eyes darting around the waiting room suspiciously.

His expression cleared and he chuckled wickedly before he said - "Hey, I think I'll bring Dr Sexy back. You liked Dr Sexy didn't you, Dean-o?"

Dean snorted but didn't lift his gaze from either the floor or his boots.

"I don't think a TV show doctor will help, Gabe. I want Cas," Dean said, voice small as one tear splashed onto his shirt.

"Relax, he'll be fine," Gabriel said, voice cheerful yet in a forced way, eyes resting gently upon Dean.

"I wish I could believe that," Dean said in response.

"He will, he'll come back. Love is a great provider after all," Gabriel said. "You know he loves you, don't you?"

"Cas? Yeah, I know he does," and Dean smiled softly at that.

"Well, then. Love will guide him back to you, you'll see. How much do you love him in here?" and Gabriel tapped Dean on his chest, right over the hunter's heart.

"A lot," Dean replied, after a brief struggle over possibly telling Gabriel to stuff his words up his ass.

"Good," Gabriel said. "He'll come back then, you'll see."

They fell silent and Dean reflected that it seemed a little strange that he was taking advice from an archangel - the very same archangel who'd tried to kill him on more than one occasion, to teach Sam a lesson. Then he opened his mouth to ask a question.

"Gabe, why are you helping me?" he asked feeling stupid for even asking but needing to ask anyway.

"Why did you help me?" Gabriel countered, hazel eyes narrowed at Dean.

"You've helped us out countless times in recent weeks. I thought it'd be best to give something back," Dean said, lamely.

"And?" Gabriel prompted, guessing that there was more to Dean's statement that what he was currently revealing.

"And because I thought you'd help us in the fight against Lucifer again," Dean said, realising just how sorry a plight they really were in.

There was no guarantee that Gabriel would even say yes and would help them at all, not after what Lucifer had done to him.

"I can't do that, Dean and you know it," Gabriel said, gently, deciding not to sugar coat it for Dean's benefit.

Dean winced at that before he leant back in his seat and stared up at the ceiling bleakly.

"I'm not saying I won't help you, I'm saying I can't help you," Gabriel said, softly. "Lucifer killed me, Dean. What's to say he won't do it again? I'm sorry, but I'm too fond of my own ass to put myself directly in the line of fire again. Why d'you think I disappeared before?"

Dean nodded wordlessly, knowing that the angel had a point and he felt selfish for even bringing the subject up, for even giving life back to Gabriel again. He'd just put Gabriel right back in the middle of things again, endangered him all over again.

"Hey, Dean-o, I'm glad you brought me back to life, I really am. You know what families are like, or you should know as well as I do, the hell they put you through - quite literally in my case. Lucifer - Lucifer is my brother. He killed me once, and there's nothing stopping him from killing me again, if he thinks I'm standing in his way. You know he won't stop until he's riding Sam, don't you?" Gabriel asked, friendly face serious and intense for the first time that Dean could remember.

"I know," Dean said, with a grimace.

"There's nothing anyone can do to stop him. He won't be denied until Sam says yes and Lucifer is nothing but persistent. He thinks he's doing the right thing after all," and Gabriel looked away, elbows resting lightly upon his thighs as he watched a nurse walking past with an appreciative eye and a lewd whistle.

Dean had to smile at that, grin broadening when the nurse totally blanked the angel sitting next to him. Gabriel shrugged as though the lack of interest was of little consequence to him.

"I hear what you're saying, Gabe. I just thought it was a long shot," Dean murmured, with a sigh. "I guess the only thing to do now is go ahead with plan A, after all."

"Plan A?" Gabriel asked, turning hazel eyes curiously onto Dean.

Dean stared at him for a moment, then remembered that Gabriel had been dead when the plan to allow Sam to say yes to Lucifer had been formed. The hunter quickly filled the archangel in, who whistled, eyebrows shooting up to meet his hairline.

"And how do you feel about this? I never pegged you for one to allow this to happen," Gabriel commented.

"I feel sick, I wish it wasn't happening and if there was any way to stop this I would. Why d'you think I wanted you alive again? I thought you'd be a failsafe option to help stop the Apocalypse another way. Now I have no choice but to let Sam go ahead and let Lucifer ride his dumb ass," and Dean turned away bitterly.

Gabriel kept silent at that, and watched as Dean's shoulders shook a little, proving that the hunter was crying. The angel remained quiet long after the tears had stopped rolling, staring at the floor and his own scuffed tennis shoes despondently.

"Don't you have any place you want to be, Gabe?" Dean asked, suddenly, voice still thick with unshed tears.

"There's an orgy in Pontiac that's got my name all over it," Gabriel commented, aiming for a bright and sunny smile which dimmed when Dean didn't join in. "Fancy a whirl, Dean?"

"No, you go ahead. I'm good," Dean said, with a shaky attempt at a smile.

"Cas really has you on a leash, doesn't he?" and Gabriel laughed, before clapping Dean on the shoulder. "Don't worry, it's a good thing. Nice to see you finally settling down."

Dean merely smiled his thanks at that, before turning away to track the progress of a nurse going in the opposite direction. By the time he'd finished asking her for an update on Castiel, Gabriel had long since disappeared, heading off the promised orgy in Pontiac. Dean snorted softly at that -and thought trust Gabriel to not know about Sam, yet be fully aware of the orgies going on.


	6. Chapter 6

Castiel was laying on the hospital bed, blue eyes resting gently on the ceiling and he glanced at his lover when Dean walked in. A small smile passed across his face wearily as Dean stood by his bed, hovering uncomfortably.

"Hey sweetheart," Dean said, reaching out to tweak the sheets around Castiel's slender body, straightening them and idly tucking him in gently.

Castiel looked so fragile in his hospital gown, worn down and decimated somehow without his familiar clothes.

"Hello Dean," Castiel said, deep voice worn around the edges as he reached up to cup Dean's cheek with one hand.

Dean settled down upon the bed beside his lover, pressing against Castiel's hand and kissing his palm gently. His lips lingered upon his skin, breath blasting from his nostrils as Castiel sighed beside him.

"Everything will be fine, you know, Dean," Castiel assured him. "I'll be out of here in no time, you'll see."

"You'd better, Cas. I don't wanna be out there alone you know," and Dean pointed out of the window at the big wide world.

"You have Sam and Bobby," Castiel pointed out with a smile creasing the corners of his eyes impishly.

"Not what I meant Cas. I want you there," Dean said, voice tight with something he didn't want to admit as being tears.

"I know, honey, I know," Castiel said, using one of Jimmy's pet names for the first time.

Dean looked down upon him in surprise, a gentle smile curving his lips, before he leant in to steal a kiss from Castiel's pliant mouth gently. He drew away suddenly, a brighter smile brightening his face before he said - "Hey, I brought you these!"

He pushed a box of chocolates into Castiel's chest proudly, before ripping the lid off and showing the angel the sweet treats proudly. He plucked one from the plastic tray inside before pressing it against Castiel's plump lips teasingly. The angel opened up automatically without much encouragement from Dean, chewing slowly on the chocolate and smiling slightly as sugar coated his tongue and taste buds.

"This is nice," he said, tongue flicking out to remove chocolate from his lips.

Dean chuckled in amusement, wiping a smear of chocolate from his lover's chin with the pad of his thumb, before continuing to feed Castiel more of the sweet candy by hand. Castiel took every piece willingly, eyes forever trained upon Dean's face and mouth, trust and love evident in the angel's liquid blue eyes. Dean stopped periodically to press kisses against Castiel's sweet mouth, tasting chocolate and the far muskier taste of Castiel himself beneath it all. He sighed and they remained in a mostly companionable silence until Dean had to leave, promising his return to his lover as soon as he was able. Castiel nodded and watched him leave, a contented smile gracing his lips, safe in the knowledge that Dean really would return to him, always ...


	7. Epilogue

Dean stood alone, trees surrounding him as he thought back over the last few days, Pain still swirled inside him, clenched at his heart and wearied his soul as he thought of Sam descending into the pit, held down tight by Lucifer riding him and lost to Dean forever. His eyes were dry for the first time in days, no longer able to fall for the amount already been shed.

He looked up slightly when he heard the faint flutter of wings nearby and he shared a secret smile with Castiel, heart raising a little bit at seeing his angelic lover back again. Now that Castiel had been raised up to the highest station Castiel could achieve in Heaven, Dean had wondered if he'd even have time for him anymore, yet Castiel always returned, faithfully.

It seemed that now that Sam was lost forever to the pit, and Bobby no longer speaking much to him now the Apocalypse was finished, that Castiel was the last remaining good thing left in Dean's life right now. They didn't speak and Dean watched his lover as Castiel closed the distance between them finally.

The cool afternoon breezes floated through the trees as Dean leant into Castiel's body, sliding his arms around the angel's waist beneath his tan coat. Castiel fixed his intense blue gaze upon Dean's face, soft mouth smiling gently at his lover as Dean leant in closer to press a kiss to Castiel's lips. The hunter felt Castiel's eyelashes brushing against his cheek as the angel's eyes drifted closed, mouth working gently against Dean's own, mouths meeting and parting with soft kissing noises breaking easily between them.

Dean had felt their time alone a long time coming and relished their stolen moment away from Sam and their most current hunt together gratefully. He loved the feel of Castiel's gentle slender hands against his back beneath his t shirt, loved the feel of his mouth against his own and the feel of their tongues sliding and caressing together while they kissed.

Dean felt his arousal coil through him, sent his dick bulging against the restraint of his jeans as Castiel did that perfect little twist of his tongue inside Dean's mouth that the hunter absolutely loved and sent him wild. He pulled away, breath blasting harshly from his mouth, eyes staring blindly at a far off leaf fluttering uselessly to the ground. Castiel watched him closely, uncertain as to what Dean was thinking, mouth pouting out in a lush shape as though wounded.

"Did I do something wrong, Dean?" Castiel asked, deep voice rumbling against Dean's chest and attracting the hunter's attention back to his angel once more.

"No, sweetheart, you're doing everything right," Dean reassured him, before dipping his head closer to press a kiss to Castiel's pliant mouth gently.

Castiel purred against Dean's tongue as he sucked on it gently, hand resting on the back of Dean's head and twining his fingers through the hunter's short hair. He settled in closer still to his lover's body, felt the tell tale signs of his lover's arousal when he ground his own erection purposefully against Dean's dick. Dean pulled away again, dark pupils blown wide as he stared at his lover, breath ragged and harsh in his throat once more. Castiel smiled gently, caressed Dean's cheek before settling his head against the hunter's shoulder gently.

Dean rested his cheek against the side of the angel's face, holding Castiel in his arms and enjoying the peaceful moment between them. He felt Castiel's plump lips press a soothing kiss to his throat, breath from his nostrils playing out over the hunter's sensitive skin gently. The trees hissed and huffed about them as the wind grew stronger, rattled through branches shedding fall leaves down upon their heads, orange red yellow leaves twirling down even now to land on the ground beside them. One landed upon Castiel's head to drift away with another sudden gust of wind, unnoticed by hunter and angel alike.

Dean sighed, chest rising and falling against his lover's, making Castiel draw away and stare at him with intense liquid blue eyes, gaze tracking every movement Dean made with his mouth, eyes, tongue. Dean smiled at the tenderness held within his lover's eyes and the obvious love there and he caressed his face gently.

He sighed as he felt Castiel wordlessly slip Dean's shirt from his shoulders, breaking eye contact to grapple skilfully with his belt buckle, working leather free from metal. Dean waited, until the cool slap of fall air played across his thighs, before his ass was exposed to the air when the angel pulled his boxers down quickly. Dean shuffled away slightly, kicked his boots and restraining jeans and boxers away, before pulling his t shirt over his head, tossing it away carelessly.

Castiel yanked at his tie, pulled it free from his neck and set to work undressing swiftly. The sun broke through the clouds to shine down upon them both when they finally were naked, lighting their skin in gentle warm waves, dappling across naked flesh gently. Dean closed the distance between them, fingers entwining with Castiel's as they stared into each other's eyes, breath mingling in midair between them.

Castiel stood watching Dean closely, plump lips parted, blue eyes large and trusting as Dean slowly stroked across the angel's hipbones with all fingers extended and exploring. The hunter's eyes were downcast, watching the progress of his own fingers as they dipped further and further down towards Castiel's cock curling up towards the angel's flat abdomen. Castiel whined deep in his throat, body tense and shuddering slightly in anticipation as Dean wrapped one hand around his erection and started stroking him firmly.

"You like that, huh, Cas?" Dean asked, voice pitched low and intimate as his gaze flicked up towards his lover's lax face.

Castiel nodded wordlessly, speech robbed from him for the briefest of moments as his hips worked languidly, dick sliding through the circle of Dean's fingers gently. His legs felt weak, shaky as he gave himself to Dean, tension shifting outwards from his body and into the hunter's. His whines grew louder, more insistent as Dean rubbed him more firmly, wetting his lips as he cast his gaze back down towards the angel's dick, at the dark hair curling at the base of it.

Castiel tilted his head back, back straining as he spilled out onto Dean's hand, climax spilling his seed all over Dean's hand and his thigh. Castiel moaned Dean's name loudly, need evident in his voice as he came. Dean let his hand fall away, before he headed back to the car parked nearby, leant into pluck the lube from the dash and returning to Castiel's side quickly.

He applied lube to his dick quickly, slicking the shining fluid over his straining flesh, as Castiel took the bottle from his hands eagerly. Dean watched, hand still curled around his erection as the angel prepared himself, hand arching around his own body to stretch his own hole open with one slick hand. Castiel's face was flushed, slack, cheeks flushed and eyes hazy and hooded as his hips jerked backwards onto his own fingers.

Dean lay upon the ground, smiled and supported Castiel's waist when the angel straddled him, sank down upon Dean's erection easily, tight channel clamping around Dean's dick securely. Dean groaned loudly, a deep guttural sound that broke the air and rose above the sound of the wind around them as Castiel rolled his hips against Dean's, hands resting heavily upon the hunter's shoulders. Castiel ground down against Dean's hips, his head thrown back and his lips parted into a loud, guttural groan of desire.

His dick curled up towards his abdomen exposed between his partially unbuttoned shirt, thick, flushed and heavy, bobbing and swaying with every movement he made against Dean. The hunter's mouth parted, lips stretched wide at the sight his angel made above him; wanton, wind blown and lusty, laid bare for everyone to see and Dean to hold.

Castiel rode Dean hard, fingers manipulating the hunter's flesh harshly and digging in hard enough to leave bruises by the morning. Neither cared, neither noticed, too caught up in the moment and each other to worry about bruises right then. Dean felt Castiel pull one hand away from his shoulder, wrap his long fingers around his throbbing dick and start stroking in time with his thrusting hips. Castiel's eyes locked with Dean's, cheeks flushed and sweating slightly despite the chill in the air.

Dean lifted his hips, arched his back and strove for a better angle into his lover and was soon rewarded by a beautiful moan bursting from his lover's pretty mouth as he hit Castiel's prostate. Dean ground into him, body shaking with the effort of keeping up a punishing pace, mewls and whines working in his throat as his orgasm coiled and burned behind his navel. He struggled to hold back and the climax claimed him in the end, and he emptied his seed into his lover with a scream of Castiel's name loud and pregnant in the air. His hips kept slamming against Castiel's as he rode out the last of his orgasm, before he lay still at last.

Castiel looked down upon him, mouth slack and gasping for much needed air, hand still fondling his dick slower now than before. His breath jagged and spiked harshly in his throat, caught, before it was expelled in a sigh and a moan of Dean's name, cum splashing out over them both as Castiel finally orgasmed. His hips slowed to a stop as his hand fell away, before he swung his leg up and away from Dean's body, to settle himself down upon the ground beside his lover.

Dean settled in against Castiel's side, smiled down at Castiel's tempting mouth before claiming a kiss from his lover's plush lips. Sweating bodies writhed on the floor as they exchanged kisses, hands caressing and spreading sweat and cum over exposed skin as Castiel rolled on top of Dean again. They lay there, bodies entwined, still exchanging kisses, content to do no more than hold each other for the time being.

Finally, Dean moved, got to his feet and stooped to help Castiel up, smiling as the angel moved with his usual feline grace. Even while naked and sporting an all too human body, Castiel managed to make even the simplest of gestures seem otherworldly and celestial, beautiful in graceful lines.

Dean slowly got dressed, casting distracted glances towards his lover as Castiel got dressed beside him. They remained silent, robbed of speech as well as their nudity, returning to the car hands entwined before they headed back to humanity, and the civilization the town and the motel offered. Both Dean and Castiel knew that it wouldn't be the last time they'd make love or spend time together. Just because Dean's world had ended and Castiel's world had shifted, it was good, cathartic even, to know that some things remained the same, unchanged, unsullied by outside influences ...

-FINI-


End file.
